Suffolk’s first Giggling Squid Thai restaurant will open in Abbeygate Street.

Within a week of announcing a new restaurant in Essex, the fast-growing Giggling Squid chain completed on the site in Abbeygate Street, with a £150,000 refurbishment set to take place.

The restaurant will replace the Chimichanga Tex-Mex, which had been open for less than three years.

Co-owned by husband and wife team Andrew and Pranee Laurillard, Giggling Squid’s formula focuses on rustic Thai cuisine served in a modern setting.

The latest acquisition takes the group’s portfolio to 15 sites, with the chain hoping to have a nationwide string of 70 restaurants within seven years.

Following a £150,000 refurbishment of the Bury premises, Giggling Squid expects to open its new restaurant in the autumn, creating 25 jobs.

The site underwent a £700,000 refurbishment in 2012, when the former La Tasca restaurant was taken on by Chimichanga. The nationwide Mexican food chain employed roughly 20 members of staff.

“We’ve identified the key market towns like Bury in which to base a network of authentic Thai restaurants for a nation of food lovers” said Mrs Laurillard.

“We’re delighted to be coming here to the town with its rich history, elegant architecture, thriving tourist trade and a discerning local clientele.

“But ultimately we’re a food-led business and are still having great fun. We are immensely proud that our customers compliment us for still having the welcoming feel of a one-off independent, which is why people think of us as a family of restaurants rather than a chain, whilst critics love the authentic street-food style dishes.”

Giggling Squid currently operates 12 venues – in Brighton, Hove, Crawley, Tunbridge Wells, Henley-on-Thames, Reigate, Stratford-upon-Avon, Marlow, Horsham, Sevenoaks, Salisbury and Bristol.

It is currently refurbishing sites in Billericay and Bath for future openings.